Clifton report

The term The Clifton Report is commonly used to refer to a number of different reports published by Animal People, Inc., an international animal welfare newspaper based on Whidbey Island, Washington. The reports are eponymously named after the author, Merritt Clifton, an investigative reporter and editor of Animal People.

The reports

The reports include:

1. Watchdog Report on Animal Charities (published annually)
2. Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada (updated monthly)
3. Annual reports on animal shelter killing (since 1993)

1. Watchdog Report on Animal Charities

The Watchdog Report had its origins in a report titled Who Gets The Money? This report was originally published in April 1991 by Animals' Agenda news magazine and was based on IRS Form 990 filings.^[1] The report included data on fundraising, program spending, and administrative expenses, as well as salaries of the top officials of each charity.

Animal People magazine assumed publication of Who Gets the Money? in 1992, adding more organizations each subsequent year. The report also expanded financial coverage and in 1999 Animal People launched a separate handbook published each summer titled The Watchdog Report on Animal Charities.

The Watchdog Report averages 52 pages, covering from 150 to 165 charities per year. Approximately 40-50 noteworthy foreign charities are included each year.

2. Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada

In 1979 Merritt Clifton, then a reporter for the Sherbrooke Record in Sherbrooke, Quebec, began investigating a local exotic cat breeding & trafficking business. The aim was to discover whether exotic cats could be kept humanely & safely as pets, and as part of the study Clifton tracked fatal and disfiguring attacks by exotic pets, and their trafficking across the border. The log became breed-specific in September 1982. Clifton continued his work in connection with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety and after his move to Animal People in 1992.

Over the 30-year duration of the log pit bull terriers have accounted for approximately half of all attacks qualifying for listing in each individual year. Attacks by wolf hybrids were next most numerous through the first decade, but Rottweilers then moved into second place. After 30 years, wolf hybrids are still in 3rd place overall, but attacks by German shepherds and GSD mixes, Akitas, bull mastiffs & Presa Canarios, boxers, huskies, and chows are all more frequent over the past 20 years.^[2]

Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada is the sole ongoing, cumulative database of dog attacks in the US. It compiles data from police reports, animal control reports, witness accounts, victim accounts in many instances, and hospital reports.^[3]

3. Annual reports on animal shelter killing

In the early 90's Clifton researched companion animal legislation for the American Humane Association. This research was originally undertaken as part of AHA efforts to reduce the numbers of animals killed in U.S. shelters. The report has subsequently become a regular feature of Animal People.

The prevailing use of "euthanasia rates" and "save rates" was considered inherently misleading, as the figures were inconsistent due to shelter management practices. As a result, by the mid-90's Clifton was using more complex statistical models. Since 1996 the rate of shelter killing per 1,000 humans has become the comparative statistic most used by humane workers and animal control professionals to assess progress.

Dog attacks and public safety

The number of people admitted to hospitals because of dog bites increased from 5,100 in 1993 to 9,500 in 2008.^[4] Pet ownership increased only slightly during the period, and insurance and health care experts are not able to explain the increase in hospital admissions.^[5]

External links

• Animal People

See also

• Dog attack
• List of fatal dog attacks in the United States
• Breed Specific Legislation
• Wolf attacks on humans
• Pit Bull

References

1. ^ "Foundation Finder". 990 Finder. http://tfcny.fdncenter.org/990s/990search/esearch.php. Retrieved 21 August 2011. 
2. ^ Clifton, Merritt. "Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings". Animal People. http://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/dog-attack-deaths-maimings-2010.pdf. Retrieved 1 August 2011. 
3. ^ Clifton, Merritt. "Letter". The Clifton Report. SRUV. http://sruv-pitbulls.blogspot.com/2011/07/clifton-report.html. Retrieved 29 July 2011. 
4. ^ "Hospital Admissions for Dog Bites Increase 86 Percent Over a 16-Year Period.". AHRQ News and Numbers. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/nn/nn120110.htm. Retrieved 31 July 2011. 
5. ^ "Dog Bite Liability". Insurance Information Institute. http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/dogbite/. Retrieved 31 July 2011.